Sustainable City Awards

Coppermill Primary School is the first school in the London Borough of Waltham Forest to implement a sustainability strategy and action plan, placing the environment and wellbeing at the heart of everything the school does as reflected in the school’s new vision statement: ”We inspire and equip our children, staff and wider community to be globally minded and environmentally active citizens, working for a healthy future for people and planet” and embedded throughout the Strategic Development Plan.

Actions were driven by a pupil Eco-Council, teacher and parent workshop and are focused on Culture, Curriculum, Campus, Community and include:

• Sustainability topics and investigations taught across curriculum subject
• Boiler upgrade and LED lighting switch-out
• Vegan/veggie lunch options and composting food waste
• Behavioural campaign to reduce paper and switch-off lights/equipment
• Funding secured to create an outdoor classroom and solar panels applied for
• Community art exhibition on climate futures with Climate Change All Change
• Bulb planting in community rain gardens.

David Gilbert, Assistant Headteacher said: ‘Coppermill are absolutely delighted and amazed to have been awarded Sustainable School of the Year 2023. As a school we are working extremely hard to place sustainability at the core of everything we do and this award is wonderful recognition of that. We truly believe that all schools have the power to make a huge and positive impact on the environment and that it is the responsibility of all of us to make this change. Working with our parents, governors, school leaders and of course our brilliant Eco Council, we hope to continue to move our school in the right direction’.

London Borough of Bexley worked with ReLondon, Olio and Kitche on an innovative tech-based solution to food waste reduction and redistribution.

Funded by ReLondon, this project presented an exciting opportunity for public-private collaboration between circular small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and local government.

Targeting households throughout the borough, the project not only captured valuable insights, but also contributed to positive behaviour change, with 2 tonnes of food being shared that would have previously gone to waste.

Bexley Councillor Peter Craske, Cabinet Member for Places said: “Well done to everyone who has worked hard on this project and to all our residents that downloaded the app to help reduce food waste in Bexley. Working on this joint campaign has put Bexley at the forefront of the UK’s efforts to fight food waste.”

Amy Casey, Project Advisor at ReLondon said: ”We’re delighted to be part of the team receiving this award. It proves yet again that, if we’re to deliver innovative projects that help residents act on climate change, we need to collaborate. The project brought together a London borough with two London-based food waste innovators and the results show the value of partnership between the public and private sector.”

Daniel has built a power station as part of his work as a solar punk, creating new stories and visions of sustainable hope.

He has developed the POWER ‘show and do’ project building a solar power station across the rooftops (streets, schools, community buildings) of his street in Walthamstow by enacting a grassroots Green New Deal - working with art and infrastructure to tackle the interlinked climate/energy/cost of living crises.

Dan said: “Thank you so much for this award - it's amazing. It was just so lovely to see so many people getting together to try and solve such big issues, and it was very humbling. The awards donation will help us pay for solar panels and keep our work alive!”

WINNER - Henry Greenwood, Green Schools Project

Henry is the Founder and Managing Director of the Green Schools Project, a project on a mission to change the way schools respond to the climate and nature crisis. Through a range of training, support, and resources, they help schools embed climate education into lessons while supporting pupils to run projects that reduce carbon emissions.

Highly commended

• Zaqiya Cajee
• Jenny Chapman
• Rachel Harrison
• Martyn Steiner

Winner - Greenside primary school

Greenside Primary School has developed a way of teaching that promotes learning experiences linked to food and nature within all aspects of our curriculum. Learning about the natural world is more than a single subject specific lesson a week, or an opt in extra curricula offering - it is integrated into everything.

Highly commended

• Halcyon London International School
• Henry Fawcett Primary School
• Parliament Hill School

Winner - London Borough of Merton - Cleaner Construction for London team

The Air Quality team is delivering London’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) for Construction Machinery. This pioneering work is shaping positive change in the construction industry, delivering on-the-ground site compliance and significant measurable emissions savings in NOx, PM and CO2 across London.

Winner - LifeAfterHummus, Community Benefit Society

Lifeafterhummus’ 50 local volunteers collect surplus food from 45 local stores every week to support the needs of Somers Town’s local community, currently serving 80 local households and over 125 children living in poverty, and redistributing surplus food to 11 local hostels, 1 after-school club and 1 church group – all thanks to their volunteers! They also provide referrals for debt advice, grants, care navigation, welfare rights, domestic violence and whatever support is requested working alongside local partners and the council.

Highly commended

• Made in Hackney
• The Restart Project
• Bikeworks CIC

Winner - Dr Rita Issa, Bromley by Bow Health Centre

Rita is an East London GP at Bromley by Bow Health Centre, a climate change and health researcher, and campaigner, working with health professionals and the local community to raise awareness and empower bottom-up and top-down action on climate change and air pollution, for human and planetary health.

Highly commended

• Councillor Pete Elliott
• Dr Tamsin Ellis
• Dr Anna Moore

Winner - Rachel Ledwith, The Felix Project

Rachel is the Head of Community Engagement for The Felix Project, a London-based food redistribution charity set up in 2016 to tackle food poverty and waste. They rescue good, surplus food from the food industry and sort and deliver to approximately 1,000 front-line charities, primary schools and holiday programmes in London.

Highly commended

• Neil Sheppeck
• Clare Searle
• Rebeka Clark

2018

Smart Technology Winner: Olio

Sustainable Mobility Winner: London Borough of Enfield

Managing Resources Winner: Olio

Innovative Spaces Winner: Demand Logic

Healthier City Winner: Repowering London

Sir Peter Parker Award: WSP, Demand Logic, Blue Green Global Ltd

Overall Winner: Repowering London